I started to think of how I would like to knit a square in memory of my grandad, and how I would like it to symbolise what I loved about him. He was my father figure, mentor, teacher and greatest supporter. When I was young he’d take me anywhere I wanted to go – to the park, to the museum, to ride my bike. He’d fix the punctures in my tyres as well as the graze on my knee. One of the thing he’d love to do most was to go out and watch wild birds. He bought a heavy old pair of binoculars and we’d walk through fields, parks, woodlands – wherever we could find them. He’d explain about their songs, their migration paths, and we’d sketch them as he whistled their tunes back to them.

One of his favourite British wild birds was the bluetit, and I thought that this would make a fitting tribute to my beautiful grandfather.

I think he’d have loved this design if he was still alive, but I also think he’d like me to have shared it, because he’d always want more of his feathered friends in the world.